Nissan Leaf heads to the GT Academy

Nissan and Polyphony Digital, the studio behind the Grand Turismo franchise, have made a habit of giving gamers a shot at becoming professional race drivers through the GT Academy. Players from all over the world compete virtually for a chance to put down the controller, lace up their driving shoes and compete head-to-head in a variety of real-world challenges. Last year, Bryan Heitkotter won the first-ever U.S. GT Academy, thereby joining the ranks of former winners like Lucas Ordonez, Jordan Tresson and Jann Mardenborough.

This year's competition is already in full swing, and while we're used to seeing our virtual screens filled with machines like the Nissan 370Z and GT-R, the Leaf has made it into the fray as well. Why the Leaf? It's no secret that slow cars quickly bring to light a driver's inadequacies on the track. With so little horsepower, it's more difficult to overcome even small mistakes.